How to Root the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

It seems Towelroot doesn’t work well on the newer builds of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active. So we thought we’d find a new way to gain root on this device and we actually succeeded in it. We now have Chainfire’s easy root method to root the Galaxy S5 Active, that usually only takes a couple of minutes to properly root the device. Here’s how:

Rooting is the process of gaining administrative rights on your Android device.  Once we root our Android device, we can then make changes to it to customize it well beyond what it normally can do.

Once you have root access on your Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, you’ll be able to:

• Remove apps that were preinstalled by your carrier/manufacturer from your device.
• Free up storage space (because of the above benefit).
• Increase battery life (apps that might have been running constantly can be removed).
• Increase performance (after removing apps that are always running, the device will be less bogged down and run smoother).
• Update to a new version of Android (by flashing a custom recovery/ROM, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
• Tons of other customizations when you use your new found administrative rights to flash a custom ROM (again, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).

Interested? Here’s how to root your Samsung Galaxy S5 Active:

I. Before You Begin

1. This’ll void the warranty of your device. We won’t be held responsible if you end-up bricking or damaging your device. Do it at your own risk.

2. This only works for the SM-G870W variant of the device.

3. This should only work on Windows based PCs.

4. You should’ve appropriate drivers installed on your PC. If you don’t, go ahead and get the latest drivers installed from here.

II. Downloading Required Files

1. Download Odin and save it to your desktop.

Odin

2. Download CF-Root and save it to your desktop.

CF-Root

III. Rooting the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

1. Uncompress files from both Odin and CF-Root to your desktop by right-clicking on each of them and selecting Extract here.

2. Launch Odin by double-clicking on its executable file.

3. When it launches, click on PDA and it’ll let you choose a file that you can flash on your device. Choose the CF-Root file that exists on your desktop.

4. Make sure Repartition is unchecked in the Odin. It’s important.

5. Feel free to checkmark the boxes that say Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time as they’re harmless.

6. Turn OFF your device.

7. Turn it back on in Download mode. To do that, hold down Volume DOWN, Home, and Power buttons together.

8. A warning message should appear on your screen. Hit Volume UP to continue.

9. You should now be in Download mode.

10. Plug in your device to your PC via USB cable.

11. Click on Start in the Odin. It’ll start flashing CF-Root on your device.

12. When CF-Root is flashed, your device should automatically reboot.

13. You’re all set!

Wonderful! Your Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is now rooted and you can confirm the same by installing Root Checker from the Google Play store.

You can click here to find all of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active How To’s.

You can also find all of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active ROMs we have here.